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April 28, 2008

CONTACT:
Seth Harvey
(225) 342-8153
sharvey@crt.state.la.us

BATON ROUGE - Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu will travel to Washington, D.C. tomorrow to participate in a roundtable discussion at the Aspen Institute, a nationally renowned think tank, about the role of government in supporting social innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Aspen Institute and the non-profit organization Root Cause will discuss its newest joint report Advancing Social Entrepreneurship: Recommendations for Policy Makers and Government Agencies, which provides recommendations for government on all levels to address this country's many challenges through support of social entrepreneurship. Landrieu will address how his office supports social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Landrieu created the nation's first Office of Social Entrepreneurship in Louisiana in 2006. Its mission is to support citizens and organizations using business principles to build and scale innovative, accountable, and sustainable solutions to social problems facing Louisiana.

"Social entrepreneurship is the cutting-edge practice of using a business model to solve social problems. This office positions Louisiana as the most hospitable place in the nation for those who are testing the best new models for social innovation," said Lt. Governor Landrieu.

To raise awareness about social entrepreneurship, Landrieu's office has hosted Changing Louisiana seminars across the state.

The first Changing Louisiana seminar was held in March 2007, and more than 1500 people have attended these events in New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Alexandria and Baton Rouge. The one-day seminar is designed to educate interested citizens and organizations about resources available to create projects that make a difference in the lives of Louisiana's citizens. Future events are planned for Monroe, Houma, and Lafayette.